Brad Paisley couldn’t get by with singing, “You’re wanted by the police/And my wife thinks you’re dead.” People would laugh.

When Junior Brown sings the line, somehow you’ve got to take him seriously.

That’s because unlike most of today’s country acts, Brown has the guitar chops and voice to back up his sometimes hokey lyrics. And his appearance ” dark suit, empty eyes, hearing aids ” looks like he could have been a contemporary of Hank Williams.

Brown brought his flying fingers and patented guit-steel instrument to The Bottleneck Tuesday night to play for an eclectic crowd that was significantly smaller than that of his last performance at the venue in February.

Those who were on hand were treated to 1 1/2 hours of Brown’s rich baritone voice and masterly guitar licks, both on the six-string and steel guitar portions of his double-necked instrument.

Though still promoting his current record ” last year’s “Mixed Bag” ” he drew mainly from favorites on his previous five albums, including “Party Lights,” “Highway Patrol” and “Broke Down South of Dallas.”

Brown isn’t flashy on stage, but he’s a showman. His ornery glances as he sings lines like “Gotta get up every morning/Just to say goodnight to you” keep his fans’ eyes glued to the stage.

Not that he needs anything but his fingers to keep audiences mesmerized. He looks just as comfortable rocking to Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” ” the final song before his encore ” as he did his country songs.

When he returned to the stage, several fans requested Johnny Bond’s “Hot Rod Lincoln.” He ripped out the first two bars, then shrugged.

“That’s all I remember,” he said with a smirk. But you knew he could have played the whole thing like it was his own.